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The Tomb of the Roaring Lions
The Tomb of the Roaring Lions is an archaeological site located in Veii, Italy. It is best known for its well-preserved fresco paintings of four feline-like creatures, believed by archaeologists to depict lions. The tomb is believed to be one of the oldest painted tombs in the western Mediterranean, dating back to 690 BCE. The discovery of the Tomb allowed archaeologists a greater insight into funerary practices amongst the Etruscan people, while also providing one of the earliest examples of cave art in central Italy.

Background
The Tomb of the Roaring Lions was discovered in 2006 in Veii, Italy. As well as the fresco paintings, the tomb was found to contain a number of significant artifacts including urns, brooches and decorated vases. Upon discovery, archaeologists hypothesised that the owner of the tomb was a warrior prince, while the presence of glass bead necklaces suggested the presence of a female occupant in the tomb, whose body has never been found. The notable fresco paintings are located on the rear wall of the tomb. The fresco depicts four feline shapes – three of them are depicted left to right (this is heads facing left, tails facing right) while the fourth is turned towards the other three.

Discovery
The tomb was discovered in 2006, after a tombarolo (illegal excavator) propositioned an Italian court. He was on trial for trafficking hundreds of illegally excavated antiquities. In exchange for a more lenient sentence the tombarolo offered to lead authorities to a previously undiscovered tomb. The court agreed to the unusual offer and the tombarolo lead them to the necropolis of Grotta Gramiccia where previous Etruscan archaeological sites had been unearthed. However, the tombarolo lead them to a unique site where the Tomb of the Roaring Lions was discovered. Archaeologist Alessandro Naso describes the entrance to the tomb, “The entrance is a long corridor and the door is arched, as is usually the case in Etruscan tomb architecture of the early 7th century BC. The door was still sealed by the original tufa blocks, even though a few on the top had been removed, indicating that the tomb was not intact”. The tomb was found to be 3.5 metres long and 3.75 metres wide. The entrance wall featured a badly preserved fresco painting of two water birds, however it was the rear wall, depicting the lions that was most notable. Each lion is around 40cm long. They are painted in black jagged outlines, with prominent, red mouths. Their mouths are open with sharp teeth, as if roaring. The heads are engorged in size in comparison to the rest of the body, while they have large hindlegs and erect, pointed tales. They are depicted in a caricature-like way and are not a realistic portrayal of a lion. Above the lions are two rows of four aquatic birds. While all aquatic birds have been drawn with the same outline, some differences can be distinguished – for example one has wings, while another is depicted with a chequerboard pattern.

Context
The Etruscans were a cultural group who inhabited central Italy from around the 8th to the 3rd century BCE before being vanquished by Roman forces. Unlike other civilisations around the time they were not controlled by a single city or leader. The Etruscans were highly occupied with religion, which accounts for their fascination with the afterlife and dedication to funerary traditions. Etruscan tombs are frequently so well decorated because they believed a notable offering would appease the dead and dissuade them from haunting the living. The Tomb of the Roaring Lions is a prominent example of a typical Etruscan tomb due to its high degree of decoration as well as the style of the tomb and the materials used to construct it. The tomb is constructed from blocks of tufa, a material used in many Etruscan tombs and is invisible from the surface.

Significance
The depiction of the lions in the tomb is highly symbolic and has been linked to the possible identity of the deceased prince. Both lions and aquatic birds are particularly symbolic in the context of a burial chamber. Both are often represented as spiritual creatures, designed to protect the departed soul as it makes its journey into the afterlife. Lions in particular were thought to represent a strong, protector for the deceased and are thought to symbolise strength and bravery, but were also linked to the suddenness of death. Some archaeologists have stipulated that the presence of the birds and the lion in the tomb indicate that the deceased is a child, with the lion representing the particularly cruel swiftness of a child dying.

The way in which the birds and the lions are represented in the fresco are a product of their 700BCE Etruscan context. The lions are depicted in a crude, geometric fashion, a result of them being manufactured during the orientalising period of ancient art. This period saw increased trade amongst cultures, which in turn meant that art movements and techniques transcended borders. The depiction of the lions at Veii are likely copied from Greek art, which was known during this period for geometric shapes. The Etruscan artist likely never saw a real lion in the flesh, however lions were known to inhabit Greece until around 300BCE.